I’ve been venturing more into dessert lately when I realized that I don’t have enough sweet stuff on here! Baking has always intimidated me because it seems easy to slip up and you can’t taste test things while they’re cooking. After trying a pumpkin cheesecake recipe from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen (which this is adapted from) I wanted to experiment with a different flavor and had a $2 bag of apples from the farmer’s market lying around. The apple topping and crumble is perfect because it’s like pie and cheesecake in one!

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix the first set of ingredients in a food processor until it’s thick and creamy. Remove a cup of the mixture and spread on crust. Add the next group of ingredients and process, then pour over the bottom layer on the crust.

In a mixing bowl, add the last set of ingredients except the apple and mix together with your hands until the flour is moist and crumbly, adding more flour if needed.

Layer the apple slices over the top layer and top off with the crumble mixture. Bake for 50 minutes then let it set in the fridge for at least 24 hours before serving so it can get firm.

I made this for my mom on Christmas eve because she had a cold and she had all these veggies in the fridge that needed to be eaten. It’s nice and hearty and the colors are really christmasy too! The chutney is what really made it though, in my opinion.

1 16oz package of dry green lentils

1 cup yellow and orange bell pepper diced

1/2 white onion diced

3 cloves of garlic chopped

1 16 oz package of baby carrots chopped

5-6 cauliflower florets

1 cup of green beans (not canned)

1 1/2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

1 vegetable bouillon cube

2 tbsp olive oil

4 cups of water (you can add more or less, depending on if you want a thicker or more soupy stew. i like it thick)

Sweat the onion and peppers in a non-stick pan with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt until translucent. Add garlic and let cook a couple more minutes, making sure not to let the garlic burn. Add onion, peppers, garlic and spices and bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low-med heat for about 20-30 minutes until lentils are soft. Makes about 6-8 servings.

I ended up having to freeze a lot of the chutney because we couldn’t eat it all but it’s good to have on hand to use as a garnish or even to eat on crackers! And it’s awesome on pizza too.